novelraw Chapter 138 A Manifesto of Fanatical Authentic Mystery, The Founding of the Mystery Club
Chapter 138 A Manifesto of Fanatical Authentic Mystery, The Founding of the Mystery Club
Chapter 138 A Manifesto of Fanatical Authentic Mystery, The Founding of the Mystery Club
Just as Kasai Kiyoshi was single-handedly taking on a group of third-rate Japanese mystery writers.
During a break from signing autographs for fans at the autograph session, Maijo Kyosuke also sorted out the story of "The Third Term".
I finally finished writing it over two nights.
July 30, 1980, 1 PM.
Meguro Ward, Tokyo.
In his study, Kiyoshi Kasai was hunched over his desk, comparing the smears of Kyosuke Maijo in the newspapers with other writers, pondering how to attack them and make them lose face.
Just then, the phone rang outside the door.
Then came the sound of the nanny, Komiya, knocking on the door.
"gentlemen----"
Before the nanny, Komiya, could finish speaking, Kasai Kiyoshi said with a somewhat displeased expression, "Aunt Komiya, didn't I already remind you?"
"Please do not disturb me while I am working unless it is urgent!"
Upon hearing Kasai Kiyoshi's words, Komiya Dormitory looked somewhat embarrassed: "But—sir, the person who called was Ms. Maishiro."
"Mr. Mai said he has something important to discuss—"
Before Komiya could finish speaking, Kasai Kiyoshi, who had initially looked displeased, suddenly broke into an excited expression. She rushed out of the room like a gust of wind and went to the phone: "Is this Maishiro-sensei? What can I do for you?"
"Have a meal?"
"Was it the same Chinese restaurant as last time?"
"Okay, okay! I'll be right there!"
After Kasai Kiyoshi received an invitation from Maijo Kyosuke.
Mystery commentary master Manji Gonda, Kodansha sales manager Yasunori Mikoshiba, Kyoko Mikoshiba, and Mitsuki Kenzaki also received invitations from Kyosuke Maishiro, Hideomi Uyama, and Miri Eru, respectively.
The reason, besides the meal, is that you can also get a sneak peek at Maijo Kyosuke's newly released short "police mystery novel".
As for why Maijo Kyosuke invited them...
The main reason, of course, was to help Maijo Kyosuke test the waters and have these people take a look at the polished version of "The Third Statute of Limitations".
On the other hand, Maijo Kyosuke also wanted to hear about the perceptions and preferences of mystery novels from people like Kasai Kiyoshi, Gonda Manji, and others of this era.
After all, whether a book becomes popular depends not only on the quality of the work, but also on the year it was written.
For example, the "COSMIC: The Myth of the End of the Century Detective" which was often criticized in its previous life, not only won the "Second Mephistopheles Award" in 1996, an era when mystery novels were flourishing, but also became one of the top thirteen heavyweight works of the year.
Therefore, in order to better adapt to the times, Maijo Kyosuke must emulate Edogawa Ranpo and form his own "Detective Club" to help himself.
In this way, Maijo Kyosuke not only gained a complete think tank, but also a group of die-hard fans!
Although it seems unlikely that this will cause much of a stir right now.
However, regardless of whether it is Kiyoshi Kasai, the "pioneer of philosophical reasoning".
"The pioneer of the new orthodox mystery genre," Hideomi Uyama.
Whether it's "Master of Mystery Commentary" Manji Gonda, they will both be the most shining figures in the Japanese mystery literature world in the future!
With their help and support, Maijo Kyosuke will not only ascend to the throne of a mystery writer sooner.
It might even accelerate the rise of Japanese mystery fiction to its peak, nurturing and influencing countless mystery writers, and becoming the greatest legend in the history of mystery fiction!
Maishiro Kyosuke, along with Eri Ryumi and Uyama Hideomi, arrived at the Chinese restaurant from their previous visit.
Thanks to Hideomi Uyama's "extraordinary connections," even during the peak evening hours when there were the most customers, he was still able to book a private room at the restaurant.
The people who came to the "Detective Club" this time included the two indispensable editors, Jiang Liumei and Yushan Hideomi.
There's also "Master of Mystery Commentary" Manji Gonda.
Kiyoshi Kasai is known as "Maishiro Kyosuke's number one fan" and "a mystery critic and writer."
Yasunori Mikoshiba, the "Sales Manager of Kodansha".
Kyoko Mikoshiba, the Tokyo Women's Karate Champion.
Kenzaki Mitsuki, the eldest daughter of the Kenzaki Group.
And Katsunori Tatara, the owner of "Tatara Old Bookstore".
The number of people who attended this time was only one less than the number last time.
However, there were three changes.
First, Otto Penzel, a well-known collector of mystery novels, did not attend.
In fact, Kyosuke Maijo had already called Otto Penzel yesterday, wanting to invite him to watch "The Third Statute of Limitations" and give some feedback.
Unfortunately, Otto Penzel had already returned to the United States.
Although Otto Penzel was very happy to hear Maijo Kyosuke's invitation and wanted to catch the next flight to come over.
However, he was rejected by Maijo Kyosuke.
Maijo Kyosuke's idea was very simple.
Because Otto Penzel was not only a collector of mystery novels, but also a publisher, an anthologist, and a bookstore owner.
With so many identities intertwined, there must be a plan and schedule in place.
If Kyosuke Maijo really intends to recruit Otto Penzel to become a member of his "Detective Club".
So what I should do is not trouble Otto Penzel and change the plan because of me.
They should have notified the other party in advance when they hold the "Detective Club" next time.
As for why they were invited this time, Manji Gonda and Katsumi Tatara were invited to join.
Kyosuke Maijo had also given this matter considerable thought.
Firstly, Manji Gonda had a tremendous impact on the development of mystery novels!
In the world of mystery novels, even if you offend someone like Kyosuke Ito, the president of the Social Thought Publishing House whose hands were previously cut off, or Shirakawa Hosho, the president of Takarajima Publishing House who issued a challenge to you, it's not a big deal.
At most, offending these club presidents will only result in some conflicts and being smeared by some of them.
However, if you offend someone in the mystery commentary world, especially a leading figure like Gonda Manji, it's practically a death sentence!
After all, the other party has the support of the Japan Mystery Writers Association!
Simply put, winning over Manji Gonda is practically equivalent to having someone backing up Kyosuke Maijo in the Mystery Writers of Japan!
As for inviting Katsunori Tatara, the owner of "Tatara Used Bookstore", it couldn't be simpler.
In the detective novel market, besides publishers and readers, there are other sellers.
Another important market is the "secondary market" of secondhand bookstores, which is often overlooked by others.
Although it may sound a little strange.
However, if a book is very expensive in a secondhand bookstore and is extremely difficult to find.
Even if the book has a low circulation, it is because the content quality is poor, resulting in a small number of copies being sold.
However, in the eyes of some readers who really enjoy reading "bad books," they are also excellent books.
For example, the book mentioned before, "COSMIC: The Myth of the End of the Century," which won the Mephistopheles Award, actually did not fit the reading taste of Kyosuke Maijo, who even considered it an extremely rare "garbage"!
Even so, when the book "COSMIC: The Myth of the End of the Century Detective" was resold on the secondary market for as much as 50,000 yen a copy, it still attracted a large number of readers who rushed to buy it.
Therefore, winning over Yoshiaki Todoroki is a very valuable thing!
Maijo Kyosuke looked around at everyone sitting in the private room.
He gestured to Jiang Liumei to distribute the eight copies of the manuscript to everyone, and then looked at everyone and said, "Apart from Mr. Quan Tian and Mr. Tatara, who are here for the first time, the rest of you have participated once before."
"Therefore, I don't want to make any further special explanations, and there's nothing special to explain."
"I've gathered everyone here today for two reasons. First, to get your feedback on my new work, 'The Third Limitation of Limitations,' a blend of police detective fiction and psychological reasoning."
"Secondly, I want to gather everyone's strengths and establish a 'Detective Club' that belongs only to us!"
"And all of you here are the first members of this mystery club!"
Upon hearing Maishiro Kyosuke's words, almost everyone showed a puzzled expression, including Eri Ryumi and Uyama Hideomi, who did not know why Maishiro Kyosuke would do this.
Seeing that the eight people present were looking at him with puzzled expressions, Maishiro Kyosuke smiled and said, "Gentlemen, although my current strength is not comparable to that of Edogawa Ranpo, I am a person who is good at making friends."
"Therefore, I decided to create this mystery club," to make many friends who are involved in mystery, hoping that through our combined efforts, Japanese mystery fiction can reach new heights!
Kiyoshi Kasai understood the meaning behind Kyosuke Maijo's words and realized that Maijo was paying homage to Edogawa Ranpo's "Detective Club," the "father of Japanese mystery."
Kasai Kiyoshi decisively raised his hand and offered his opinion: "I agree with Mr. Maishiro's suggestion. A tall building starts from the ground up. In 1947, under the advocacy of Mr. Edogawa Ranpo, the 'Detective Writers Club' was established, with Mr. Edogawa Ranpo serving as its first president."
"No one could have imagined that the Detective Writers Club, thirty-three years after its founding, would have become the Mystery Writers of Japan! A milestone in the history of Japanese mystery fiction!"
"Therefore, I also hope to become a member of Ms. Maishiro's Mystery Club and contribute my share to the world of mystery in the future!"
Kiyoshi Kasai is not only a huge fan of Kyosuke Maishiro, but also a mystery critic who likes to criticize others in newspapers. He shows great enthusiasm for Kyosuke Maishiro's establishment of the "Mystery Club".
His words were also highly inflammatory!
This prompted all six of them—Eriyoshi, Hikari Uyama, Mitsuki Kenzaki, Katsunori Tatara, Yasunori Mikoshiba, and Kyoko Mikoshiba—to raise their hands in agreement with Kyosuke Maishiro's proposal.
Seven to one.
Aside from the proposer, Kyosuke Maijo, of the eight people present, only Manji Gonda did not raise his hand in agreement.
Therefore, eight sharp gazes were all directed at Gonda Manji, wanting to hear what he had to say.
Seeing everyone looking at him, Gonda Manji gave a strange look: "Don't all look at me like that!"
"If we're talking about when Edogawa Ranpo was promoted to the Dragon Award, I was probably the youngest and least experienced judge."
"Right now, I'm the oldest and most senior 'Old Deduction Master' here."
"To be honest, more than anyone else, I hope that someone will establish a mystery club," to recreate the glory days of Edogawa Ranpo.
Jiang Liu Meili breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing Quan Tian Wanzhi's words: "So—Mr. Quan Tian, you support Ms. Mai Shiro?"
Gonda Manji smiled and nodded: "Support! Of course I support you. The reason I didn't raise my hand just now was because I was thinking about something—"
"A very important thing —"
Gonda Manji turned to look at Maishiro Kyosuke beside him and asked, "Mashiro-sensei, since you want to use this club to facilitate communication and contribute to the mystery community at the same time..."
"Don't you think the name 'Detective Club' is a bit too ordinary?"
"As you know, the word 'detective' was abolished in the written language, so Mr. Kotaro Kiki renamed detective novels as mystery novels."
"So, our mystery club shares a name with Edogawa Ranpo's Detective Club."
Do you have any other names to choose from?
Upon hearing Manji Gonda's words, Kyosuke Maijo's face revealed an expression that he had anticipated: "Mr. Gonda, what you've considered, I've already thought of."
Seeing Maijo Kyosuke's confident demeanor, Gonda Manji asked curiously, "Oh? Tell me about it?"
Maishiro Kyosuke nodded slightly, looking at the eight people present, and uttered his fervent declaration of orthodox mystery: "As everyone knows, the reason why 'orthodox mystery' has lost to 'social mystery' has created the 'Kiyoshi Curse' that has lasted for over twenty years."
"It's because someone once said that human thinking is limited, and tricks will probably be exhausted sooner or later, and the detective novel genre will also disappear."
"But I think this is just the ravings of a loser who ignores the limits of human thought!"
"The landline telephone was invented in 1875, but the first true detective novel, 'The Murders in the Rue Morgue,' was written in 1841, a difference of thirty-four years."
"I believe that with the advent of landline telephones at that time, there must have been fools who said that detective novels were doomed. But with the popularization of landline telephones, detective novels did not die out. Instead, people invented new tricks based on landline telephones."
"Similarly, as cameras became clearer, tricks were also created using cameras, followed by surveillance, computers, the Shinkansen (bullet train), forensic technology, DNA, and so-called head-mounted virtual reality."
"These things may gradually change people's perceptions, but they are all designed by humans and can never surpass the human brain!"
"Therefore, I don't believe the stupid idea that all tricks will run out, and I certainly don't believe that the so-called 'orthodox' mystery is dead!"
"My idea is simple: no matter what other reasons I may have in the future, I will write other types of mystery works."
"But I myself have always been a staunch supporter of the 'orthodox' school of fiction!"
The same principle applies to "my creation of this mystery club!"
"I don't want any realistic reasoning; I will forever uphold the ideas of Professor Seishi Yokomizo!"
"The future of classic mystery novels should be to soar into the sky!"
"The most suitable elements for classic mystery novels are always famous detectives, detective assistants, suspicious neighbors, terrifying villages, secluded islands, impossible crimes, alibis, groundbreaking and astonishing tricks, and jaw-droppingly amazing solutions!"
"So that we can capture the unique romance within the world of mystery!"
"I've named our club the New Classic Mystery Club!"